Her hometown was the scene of numerous clashes between Union and Confederate troops during the American Civil War, as well as alleged atrocities committed against the civilian population by the former.

[2] Malone's enrollment at Trinity was not without cost or risk, because local residents refused to hire African Americans who sent their children to the school.

[3] After finishing her studies at Trinity, Malone moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she enrolled at Fisk University, which had also been established by the American Missionary Association.

[4] Malone's death from an unspecified malady, on January 20, 1897, in Omaha, Nebraska, brought accolades and notes from around the world.

The Cleveland Gazette is reported to have recorded that "It is safe to say that no woman of her race ever sang in so many different countries of the world as Miss Patti J.